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Jacob Rees-Mogg
|profession = Politician |spouse(s) = Helena de Chair |children = 6 |education = Dragon School Westminster Under School Eton College Trinity College, Oxford |nicknames = Honorable Member for the: 16th Century 17th Century 18th Century 19th Century Early 20th Century The Mogg The Mogganator Snoop Mogg 英語の紳士 (English Gentleman) |image2 = Signature.png|parents = William Rees-Mogg Gillian Shakespeare Morris|siblings = 5 including; Annunziata Rees-Mogg}} Jacob Rees-Mogg (born 24 May 1969) is a British Conservative politician who has represented the constituency of North East Somerset since 2010. Known for upper-class accent, traditional beliefs and witty sense of humour Jacob played a pivotal role the campaign for the United Kingdom's withdrawal from the European Union. As an arch-Brexiteer Jacob is a member of the Exiting the European Union Committee and in 2018 was appointed chairman of the anti-EU European Research Group which helps advise on government policy. Early life Jacob Rees-Mogg was born in Hammersmith on 24th May 1969 to William Rees-Mogg, chief editor of The Times and Gillian Shakespeare Morris, daughter of Thomas Richard Morris, a former mayor of St Pancras. Growing up, Jacob had three siblings, Charlotte Louise Rees-Mogg (born 1964) Thomas Fletcher Rees-Mogg (born 1966) and Annunziata Rees-Mogg (born 1979); the youngest. As a child Jacob was raised mainly by the family nanny Veronica Crook who joined the family in 1965. On occasion Jacob was babysat by his aunt Anne Rees-Mogg whom although childless would constantly fuss over him. Ann, who was also a film director later cast Jacob and his siblings in her works. From an early age Jacob was surrounded by politics, owing much to his father William's influential job as a newspaper editor and having a house close to Smith Square on Gayfere Street. At the age of three; alongside his father, Jacob met then prime minister Edward Heath whom he recalls gave him a garibaldi biscuit. At the age of 12 Jacob became the subject of a human interest story by Tatler owing to him making investments at such a young age. In an interview he revealed having attended board meeting at General Electric Company (GEC) after being left money by a family member. At the meeting Jacob was said to have been the only attendee to complain about the "measly" dividends being offered. Later some media outlets reported Jacob had written a letter to the Financial Times, a claim which he refuted many years later on an episode of Have I got News for You. In September 1981, he appeared in an interview on the BBC Radio programme "Today". Were he told the presenter "The money I like the money" and that he likes to invest in antique silver. He then went on to say that he would want to be the CEO of General Electric Company (GEC) by aged 30, unless Tony Ben nationalised it and joked, if that happened the conservatives would come back and put it right. Jacob was to be paid £18 for this interview but the money failed to arrived and then he decided to pen a letter to the BBC demanding he be paid promptly or he would seek legal advice and if it didn't arrive by 10 November 1981 that it would rise to £36. On receiving the letter the BBC dispatch a cheque. In 2017 interview he was asked about the article and he said “The errors of my misspent youth…” Eton College In 1982 after finishing his education at Westminster Under School, Jacob entered the prestigious Eton college where he was a contemporary of Henry Dimbleby (David Dimbleby's son) and many other future public figures such as Justin Welby. One of the earliest mentions of his exploits was about a article he wrote for Harper and Queen on how to become rich by the age of 20. Described by the school newsletter as being 14 with a mental age of 43, the young Jacob took an active role in the school's debating societies. During his debates Jacob was said to rely too heavily on Mrs Thatcher but was commended for historical knowledge and humour which led to him becoming somewhat of a celebrity at debates. According to the Eton College Chronicle, Jacob's jokes during his speeches had everyone rolling in the aisles for a full forty minutes. After a few years at Eton. Jacob founded the conservative based Stockton Society with Dr. Gailey as the Master in Charge. After Gailey left on a sabbatical Michael Kidson took over and allowed students to hold regular committee meetings and invited speakers to the school. Among those invited were; Lord Hailsham and Shirley Williams. While at Eton, Jacob was a dedicated Thatcherite with one former teacher describing his views as dogmatic and the Eton College Chronicle speculating he had come down with a case of "Thatcher's Adoration" disease. The same paper also claims he would often refer to Margaret Thatcher as "Our beloved leader" or Mrs Denis Thatcher. Another of Jacob's exploits was taking part in an adaption of George Orwell’s Animal Farm where he secured the only role that required the wearing of a suit. Upon leaving Eton Jacob had his portrait painted by Paul Branson RP for the Eton College Collections, which was later put in display during the Faces of 1993 Royal Society of Portrait Painters exhibit. The portrait is located in Provost Lord Waldergrave's house. Oxford Years Jacob was accepted into Trinity College, Oxford to read History. Upon entering he was labelled a Pushy Fresher by the campus newspaper which published far fetched tails of Jacob's exploits such as employing students to polish his shoes and hold his umbrella. News clippings from that time also show Jacob's personal phone number being published and foundation of a the Jacob Rees-Mogg Appreciation Society. Notorious for donning a full suit and cycling around campus Jacob went on to become president of the Oxford University Conservative Association and was a regular at the Oxford Union where he was elected Librarian. Jacob graduated in in 1991 with a upper second-class honours degree (2:1). Reflecting on his time at Oxford Jacob has mentioned he regrets having not studied the Classics instead. Financial Career Leaving Oxford in 1991 Jacob worked for the Rothschild investment bank under noted fund manage Nils Taube before moving to British Hong Kong in 1993 to join the Lloyd George Management. While in Hong Kong Jacob regularly visited Government House which was home to the Governor of Hong Kong Chris Patten whom he had first met at just age seven. On one occasion while attending a lunch with Chris Patten, Jacob crossed paths with Lady Margaret Thatcher who berated him for questioning the handover of Hong Kong to China. Three years later he returned to London and was put in charge of some of the firm’s emerging markets funds while he attempted to entered politics. In 2003 after managing the LG Antenna fund, Jacob was put in charge of the Lloyd George Emerging Markets Fund which focused on newer markets. As a fund manager Jacob was described as “a conservative, careful investor” who was openly cautious of such measures as the price-to-sales ratios and instead favoured the more traditional peg ratio. He selected mainly non-American holdings, avoiding Internet-based opportunities such as e-retailers and content-oriented websites. Jacob’s defensive approach was criticised by fund analysist Damian Barry of Seven Investment Management who suggested Jacob had made poor stock selections that led to consistent underperformance by the fund. During his time as manager Jacob oversaw assets increase from $50 million to $5 billion. In 2007, Jacob left Lloyd George with a group of colleagues to set up his own investment company Somerset Capital Management. The company started under the eye of Odey Asset Management, the hedge fund run by Crispin Odey. Political Career After returning from Hong Kong in 1996; one year prior to its handover, Jacob was nominated as a Conservative Party candidate for Central Fife in Scotland. The seat, which had been a Labour Party stronghold since its creation in 1974 would have been an unlikely win with Tories who rarely receiving anything above 20% of the vote. Jacob was seen as an unusual choice for the area given him traditional English upper class background which contrasted greatly with the mainly working class Scottish electorate. Some deemed him "too posh" for the area, a claim which he denied was an issue. Canvassing for up to eight hours in one day, Jacob visited the Leven housing estate where he met with locals to discuss issues on their doorsteps. Right of the bat Jacob had problems communicating his message as he found it difficult to comprehend the thick Fife accent while the Scottish local failed to understand his upper received pronunciation. Family See also Ancestry Descended from a long line of Somerset businessmen and landowners the ancestry of Jacob Rees-Mogg can be traced back as far as the 13th century. The much more recent double-barreled name Rees-Mogg was created upon the marriage of Jacob's great-great-great grandfather Reverend John Rees to Mary Mogg Wooldridge in 1806.[1][2] Along with his wife Helen de Chair Jacob has six children. *Peter Theodore Alphege Rees-Mogg (b. 14 Oct 2007) *Mary Anne Charlotte Emma Rees-Mogg (b. 16 Nov 2008) *Thomas Wentworth Somerset Dunstan Rees-Mogg (b. 8 June 2010) *Anselm Charles Fitzwilliam Rees-Mogg (b. 22 June 2012) *Alfred Wulfric Leyson Pius Rees-Mogg (b. 22 Feb 2016) *Sixtus Dominic Boniface Christopher Rees-Mogg (b. 5 Jul 2017) Religion As a traditional practising Catholic, Jacob has made no pretences against his socially conservative religious views which inform part of his politics. On a number of occasions his opinions in such contentious issues as same-sex marriage and abortion as led many liberals to label him an extremist. The historical links to Christianity in the Rees-Mogg family is a seemingly long one with many of their ancestors working closely alongside the church and some even serving as clergymen. The addition of Catholicism in the family is a relatively recent phenomenon which was added through Jacob's grandmother Beatrice Warren who was an Irish-American Catholic. His grandfather and even his mother were both Anglican and never converted, although allowed their children to be brought up Catholic. Raised by a devoutly Catholic father, (William Rees-Mogg) Jacob attended weekly mass and Sunday school at the Church of the Holy Ghost in Midsomer Norton. Here he started Catechism at age 6 and attended church in the ordinary form. From an early age Jacob never had any real doubts about his religion even as a child when he was forced to attend church; an experience which he now shares with his own children. Although, as a juvenile that didn’t take the teaching of the church seriously he became more devout after taking his Holy Communion at age nine.The Moggcast Episode Six On 30th April 2006, Jacob became engaged to daughter of Somerset de Chair, Helen de Chair who is herself an Anglican. The couple were married in an ecumenical ceremony at Canterbury Cathedral, Kent, on 14th January 2007. Over 650 guests were in attendance, including the Earl and Countess of Leicester; Lord St John of Fawsley; Peter and Virginia Bottomley; and Lord Brooke. As part of the ceremony, the Abbot of Downside Abbey, Dom Aidan Bellenger, conducted a Latin Tridentine Mass. Jacob has said that he tries to pray the rosary every day which involves him saying the Apostles Creed, 10 Hail Marys, 1 Our Father and 1 Glory Be. Faith within Politics In today's Britain where religiosity is in decline, Jacob feels that people are much more accepting of religious views than they once were, citing the historic attitudes towards Catholics. Although accepted by the Conservative Party Jacob has drawn a strong comparison with the so-called Liberal Party which in his own words "couldn't handle have a Christian as their leader." With views very much on the fringe of the country as a whole, Jacob doesn't consider his role as being that of proselytising his faith and although his views inform his voting he wouldn't seek to make them part of party policy. In his own words he says, "I would not seek to enforce a view it’s up to people's consciences." Laws would "only if the whole country changed their view." Very often having to defend his faith Jacob feels that it is reasonable to ask politicians about their private lives and that no question shouldn't be asked. Media Portrayal Rising to the attention of the media in 1981 after his exploits at a GEC shareholders meeting, the young Jacob was treated with curiosity by journalist who puzzled over his mature attitude towards money, antiquated persona and his expected goals in life. By the time Jacob was a teenager the novelty of his quirks and views soon began to fade, opening him up for ridicule by both peers and the media . Archived copies of Cherwell; the Oxford university campus student newspaper, painted Jacob as a humorous old-fashioned caricature of a privileged upbringing. A image that he continues to embraces and maintained til this very day. Since joining parliament in 2010 Jacob has come to be known as the honorable member the the 18th Century among others. In popular culture *2017 - Alex Lowe appears as Jacob in "Sam Delaney's News Thing". Jacob is portrayed as a gossip. *2018 - Liam Hourican appears as Jacob in seven episodes of "Tracey Ullman Breaks the News". Trivia * Jacob's godfather is Norman St John-Stevas Articles written by Jacob 1. The Times, 15 April 1989.png|The Times, 15 April 1989 2. The Times, 13 May 1989.png|The Times, 13 May 1989 3. The Times, 10 June 1989.png|The Times, 10 June 1989 4. The Times, 4 November 1989.png|The Times, 4 November 1989 5. The Times, 31 March 1990.png|The Times, 31 March 1990 See also * Jacob Rees-Mogg filmography References External links *Parliament profile *Hansard profile 2010- *Companies House profile 1 *Companies House profile 2 Category:Rees-Mogg family